Keeping accurate accounts

from w
A workshop in Labasa surely would have been useful in directing those who attended to keep accurate accounts in their businesses. I noticed that one of the delegates said he realized that he should take notice of how his business money was spent - business, family, vanua, etc. I've heard stories of churches also mixing up their accounts - 'hey, run to the grog shop and buy some kava - use some of today's church collection.' Hmmm. Micro Enterprises Development is one way of getting people going so we wish them well.
from Fiji Times today:
Workshop targets north business projects, cash
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

RUNNING a successful business in rural communities is imperative to allow for booming trade in rural areas. A business workshop organised by the National Centre for Small and Micro Enterprises Development (NCSMED) in Labasa, showed participants the importance of overcoming business challenges for a successful and growing business.

Workshop co-ordinator Satwyan Balram said the 22 participants from villages surrounding Labasa were members of the Northern Development Program (NDP) and such workshops were needed to help guide participants make good use of the funding from NDP. He said the workshop revealed to participants ways to identify problems in a business and how to tackle it. Mr Balram said the eight-day workshop also involved bankers who were present to help participants work out their existing financial business plan. "The bankers will help our participants who are existing clients of NDP draw up better financial plans to help their business grow," he said. "The workshop also talks about the available resources and how we can make use of it through the trade market that is available to us," Mr Balram said.

Ilaitia Ruiwai, a participant, said the workshop made him realise the importance of being financially accountable. He said over the past years of running his fishing business he struggled to contain costs, thus eating up his profit. Mr Ruiwai said he used business money for family, traditional and church obligations.
He said the workshop helped him realise the importance of differentiating business and family money.